A traction control system, referred to as the ASR system, is described in SAE paper No. 92 06 41, entitled "Traction Control (ASR) Using Fuel-Injection Suppression - A Cost Effective Method of Engine-Torque Control." The ASR system serves to counteract any free spinning of the wheels on the vehicle, thus allowing optimal transfer of force to the road surface, and, among other things, optimal acceleration of the vehicle. The torque of the internal-combustion engine can be reduced through a cylinder-selective interruption of fuel injection in accordance with predetermined suppression patterns. Furthermore, the torque can be reduced by retarding the ignition firing point.
However, both the suppression of cylinders and the shifting of the ignition firing point can influence the temperature of a catalytic converter mounted in the exhaust system of the internal-combustion engine. The aforementioned reference, however, states that an unacceptably high catalytic-converter temperature did not occur in test cycles that were run using the described system.